"Le Pigeon’s Gabriel Rucker is one of the earliest to have seen the Buckman neighborhood’s promising signs for success, whose fine dining establishment has been a fixture of its east Burnside block since 2006 — and a cornerstone of Portland’s restaurant scene. Flipping the French bistro concept on its head, the award-winning team assembles mesmerizing arrangements of Pacific Northwest ingredients prepared with classic French cooking techniques. On the chef’s tasting menu (which also comes vegetarian), anything goes; a lamb shoulder might be plated with bread pudding drizzled with pomegranate bordelaise, while sturgeon can be turned into a pastrami surrounded by pickled ground cherries and a Swiss cheese-caviar sauce. Co-owner and sommelier Andy Fortgang’s composition of reserve wine pairings makes this a special occasion meal worth going all out for." - Katrina Yentch